Trump administration formally axes Elon Musk's 'five things' email
FILE PHOTO: Nov 16, 2024; New York, NY, USA; President-elect Donald Trump talks with Elon Musk (right) during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images/File Photo
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration on Tuesday formally axed a program launched by billionaire former Trump adviser Elon Musk requiring federal employees to summarize their five workplace achievements from the prior week, as first reported by Reuters.
The Office of Personnel Management, the federal human resources agency that implemented Musk's push to slash the federal workforce, announced the end of the "five things" email via a memo that rescinds guidance instructing workers to comply with the initiative.
"At OPM, we believe that managers are accountable to staying informed about what their team members are working on and have many other existing tools to do so," OPM Director Scott Kupor said in a statement, adding the agency told government HR representatives that OPM would no longer manage the process nor use it internally.
While many federal agencies had already phased out compliance with the weekly email, the move signals the Trump administration is turning the page on one of Musk's most unpopular initiatives following a falling out between the two men in early June.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Musk, who spent over a quarter of a billion dollars to help Trump win November's presidential election, led the Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to slash the budget and cut the federal workforce until his departure in May to refocus on his tech empire.
Musk initially received a warm White House sendoff from Trump, but then incurred the president's wrath by describing Trump's tax cut and spending bill as an abomination.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore More train rides taken in first half-year, but overall public transport use stays below 2019 levels
Singapore BlueSG needs time to develop software, refresh fleet, say ex-insiders after winding-down news
Asia Cambodia-Thailand border clash a setback for Asean: Vivian Balakrishnan
Singapore 'She had a whole life ahead of her': Boyfriend mourns Yishun fatal crash victim
Singapore Doctor hounded ex-girlfriend, threatened to share her intimate photos, abducted her off street
Asia Trump's transactional foreign policy fuels 'US scepticism' in Taiwan
Business Women on corporate boards give firms a competitive advantage, says Australian Governor-General
Singapore CEO of sports car distributor accused of offences including multiple counts of false trading
Trump pulled the nomination of Musk ally and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA and later threatened to cancel billions of dollars worth of federal contracts with Musk's companies after the blowup between the two men.
The "five things" email, launched by Musk in February to boost accountability, sparked tensions with department chiefs who were blindsided by the weekend email mandating the move. It also fueled confusion among government workers who received mixed messages about whether and how to comply.
Reuters reported in March that the White House installed two Trump loyalists at OPM to ensure better policy coordination between the White House and the agency.
Scott Kupor, a venture capitalist who took the helm at OPM in July, foreshadowed the end of the initiative last month, describing processing of the weekly response emails as "very manual" and "not efficient."
It is "something that we should look at and see, like, are we getting the value out of it that at least the people who put it in place thought they were," he said. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
a few seconds ago
- Straits Times
North Korean rescued after swimming across border
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to the South since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s. Seoul - A North Korean defector who swam across a sea border with South Korea while reportedly tied to floating plastic has been rescued and taken into custody, Seoul authorities said on Aug 7. The North Korean managed to swim across the de facto maritime border off the western coast of the Korean peninsula on the night of July 30, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The border is known as the Northern Limit Line and has occasionally served as a route for North Korean defectors swimming to South Korea's Ganghwa Island. 'The military identified the individual near the north of the mid-river boundary,' a military official told reporters. The individual, who local media reported was tied to Styrofoam when he was found, waved for help and said he wanted to defect to South Korea when asked by a South Korean naval officer, the official said. The operation took about 10 hours, according to Seoul, and the individual was rescued at around 4am on July 31. The North Korean is now in custody and has expressed their wish to defect, the defence ministry said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Some ageing condos in Singapore struggle with failing infrastructure, inadequate sinking funds Singapore PUB investigating wastewater discharge in Eunos: Pritam Singapore Water gel guns among newer tools NParks uses to manage monkeys in estates World Trump eyes 100% chips tariff, but 0% for US investors like Apple World Trump's 100% semiconductor tariffs may hit chipmakers in Singapore, other SEA nations Business DBS shares hit record-high after Q2 profit beats forecast on strong wealth fees, trading income Business UOB lowers outlook on tariff impact after 6% drop in Q2 profit; shares fall 1.7% Singapore SCDF officer who molested female subordinate gets 15 months' jail Ganghwa Island, located northwest of Seoul, is one of the closest South Korean territories to North Korea, with some parts of the surrounding sea lying just 10km from the maritime border between the two countries. Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to the South since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, with most going overland to neighbouring China first, then entering a third country such as Thailand before finally making it to the South. Defections across the land border that divides the peninsula are relatively rare, as the area is densely forested, heavily mined and monitored by soldiers on both sides. But a North Korean man defected in July to the South by crossing the Military Demarcation Line. The number of successful escapes dropped significantly from 2020 after the North sealed its borders – purportedly with shoot-on-sight orders along the frontier with China – to prevent the spread of Covid-19. North Koreans are typically handed over to Seoul's intelligence agency for screening when they arrive in the South. AFP
Business Times
a few seconds ago
- Business Times
Thai consumer confidence hits lowest level in over two years
[BANGKOK] Thai consumer confidence dropped for a sixth consecutive month in July to its lowest level in 31 months due mainly to concerns over US tariffs, a lagging economy and government instability, a survey showed on Thursday (Aug 7). The consumer index of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce fell to 51.7 in July from 52.7 in the previous month. The sluggish economy and the trade war, as well as high living costs, continue to undermine confidence, the university said. 'The confidence index shows no signs of recovery, with consumer purchasing power still subdued,' university president Thanavath Phonvichai told a press conference. 'The economy shows signs of stagnation and needs more stimulation,' he said, adding that the economy might grow by only 1.7 per cent this year, after last year's 2.5 per cent expansion. While the United States has reduced its tariff on imported goods from Thailand to 19 per cent from 36 per cent, there are still uncertainties relating to US tariffs on transshipments via Thailand from third countries, Thanavath said. 'What needs to be clearly defined is tariffs on transshipments. They must be explicitly outlined for businesses to adapt accordingly,' he said. Consumers were also worried about the instability of the government following the suspension of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from duty pending a case seeking her dismissal, Thanavath said. 'The political situation remains unstable following the prime minister's suspension from duty, creating an unclear outlook and undermining confidence,' he said. REUTERS
Business Times
a few seconds ago
- Business Times
Trump tariffs kick in today. How will Singapore, South-east Asia be affected? Here's what you need to know
[SINGAPORE] A few rounds of tariff rates have been announced this year, as US President Donald Trump set initial baseline rates and countries scrambled to reach new deals. Trump had set a pause on country-specific tariffs, which initially was to expire on Jul 9; it then sent South-east Asian countries and China scrambling to secure last-minute deals and protect their economies from trade shocks. He then signed an executive order last week with changes to some country rates. US duties rose from 10 per cent to levels between 15 and 41 per cent for a list of trading partners. These higher rates came into effect for dozens of economies on Thursday (Aug 7). In South-east Asia, countries were initially faced with huge tariff rates. Vietnam was slapped with a 48 per cent tariff rate, but was revised down to 20 per cent in July. However, a 40 per cent 'transhipping' tariff on goods that originate from another country and then sent to Vietnam before being shipped to the US will still take effect. Indonesia also had its rate cut from 32 per cent to 19 per cent. The White House said Indonesia will eliminate tariff barriers on over 99% of U.S. products exported to Indonesia across all sectors, including for all agricultural products, health products, seafood, information and communications technology and others. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Singapore has a baseline rate of 10 per cent, but Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said it's a rate that the country 'can live with.' In the rest of the region and the world, many products from economies such as the European Union, Japan and South Korea now face a 15 per cent tariff, even with deals struck with Washington to avert steeper threatened levies. China's original tariff rate was 145 per cent, but an earlier agreement revised it to 40 per cent. Talks are still ongoing between the US and China, with a deadline of Aug 12. Here's a look at the latest tariff rates in the region. In terms of sectoral tariffs, Trump announced on Thursday that he would impose a 100 per cent tax on imports that include semiconductors, though companies moving production back to the US would be exempted. Some chips that are made in Singapore will likely be affected. RHB analysts earlier in August said that Singapore faced threats due to potential sectoral tariffs on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. They added that 'Singapore continues to be the most exposed' in Asean, citing its high trade openness and reliance on manufacturing exports. - With additional reporting from Bloomberg
